Presented by Maria Issaris.

In this episode of New Voices, Maria Issaris introduces our first poet Jasmine Monk. Now, before you rear back in horror at the idea of poetry, take a listen to Jasmine’s work. She writes for music which has not yet been composed! Mental health is something we all brush up against, and Jasmine dealt with it by using poetry as a therapy - but she is superlative in her simplicity. Picked up early as a bright new talent, she bucked the system with a heroic gesture.

The ‘stranger’ who critiques her is Josh Whitkin, a self-confessed ‘Techie’ by trade, writing a dystopian novel about vegans taking over the world. You wouldn’t think these two have much in common, but you would be wrong. Josh finds Jasmine's poetry spellbinding. Of all the interviews in this series, none surprised me as much as this one. And none was quite as difficult to keep under control! Listen to this intriguing episode which is full of surprises, and quiet howls of triumph! Well, maybe not so quiet.

Original broadcast date: 4 May 2020